Wish you could get a refund on an under-performing, overpriced auto insurance policy? Trust us when we tell you there are lots of Baltimore residents who feel the same.
Shocking but true, the vast majority of auto insurance customers have remained with the same auto insurance company for at least four years, and 38% of customers have never shopped around. Most drivers in Maryland can save about $750 each year, but most tend to underestimate the big savings they would realize if they changed companies. Due to the large number of insurance companies to choose from that have cheap insurance for a Nissan Maxima in Baltimore, it can be difficult for drivers to locate the cheapest company.
These tips will teach you how auto insurance companies operate and some tips to save money. If you’re already insured, you will definitely be able to save money using this strategy. Drivers just need to use the most effective way to compare prices from many different companies online.
Informed Drivers Can Lower Their Insurance Premiums
Many factors are considered when you get your auto insurance bill. Some are pretty understandable such as your driving record, but others are not as apparent like where you live or how financially stable you are.
The following are a partial list of the pieces companies use to determine your premiums.
- Single drivers may get higher costs – Having a significant other can get you a discount on your car insurance bill. Having a spouse means you’re more stable financially and it’s proven that being married results in fewer claims.
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Youthful drivers cost more – Inexperience drivers are proven to be inattentive and easily distracted with other occupants in the car so they pay higher car insurance rates. Having to add a teenage driver onto a policy can really hurt. Older people are more responsible, are lower risk to insure, and tend to be get fewer driving tickets.
The following data uses these assumptions: single driver, full coverage with $100 deductibles, and no discounts or violations.
- Bump up coverage deductibles to lower rates – Insurance for physical damage to your car, also called comprehensive and collision insurance, is used to repair damage to your vehicle. Examples of covered claims could be running into the backend of another car, damage caused by hail, or theft. Physical damage deductibles tell how much you are required to spend if a covered claim is submitted. The more damage repair cost the insured is willing to pay, the lower your rates will be.
- Insurance rates in urban areas – Living in a rural area can save you money when it comes to car insurance. Fewer drivers means a lower chance of having an accident in addition to lower liability claims. Drivers who live in large Maryland cities have much more traffic and longer commute times. The longer drive time means more chance of being in an accident.
- Discounts for auto and home policies – Most major insurance companies allow discounts to buyers that have more than one policy. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. Even if you already get this discount, you may still want to shop around to guarantee you are still saving the most. You may still be able to save even more than the discount by splitting coverages up.
Most major insurance companies make it easy to get prices online. Getting Nissan Maxima insurance prices online is pretty easy as you simply type in your required coverages into the quote form. Once entered, their quoting system makes automated requests for credit information and your driving record and returns a price quote based on these factors. Being able to quote online for Nissan Maxima insurance in Baltimore streamlines rate comparisons, and it’s also necessary to have as many quotes as possible in order to get the most affordable premium on insurance.
To quickly find out what other companies charge, take a look at the companies shown below. If you currently have coverage, we recommend you complete the form with deductibles and limits exactly as they are listed on your policy. Doing this guarantees you will receive an apples-to-apples comparison using the same coverage and limits.
The providers in the list below have been selected to offer price comparisons in Baltimore, MD. If your goal is to find cheaper car insurance in MD, we recommend you compare several of them to get a more complete price comparison.
Premium rates and analysis
The price information shown below covers estimates of prices for Nissan Maxima models. Learning more about how auto insurance policy rates are formulated can assist in making smart choices when purchasing an auto insurance policy.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
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Maxima 3.5 S | $238 | $450 | $492 | $30 | $148 | $1,358 | $113 |
Maxima 3.5 SV | $238 | $518 | $492 | $30 | $148 | $1,426 | $119 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Table data assumes single male driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and Maryland minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, multi-vehicle, safe-driver, multi-policy, and homeowner. Premium amounts do not factor in specific Baltimore garaging location which can affect auto insurance rates noticeably.
Physical damage deductible comparison
The hardest decision when buying coverage is which deductible level should you buy. The comparison tables below summarize the cost difference of buying low and high insurance deductibles. The first pricing table uses a $250 deductible and the second pricing table uses a $500 deductible.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Maxima 3.5 S | $394 | $624 | $406 | $24 | $122 | $1,595 | $133 |
Maxima 3.5 SV | $394 | $718 | $406 | $24 | $122 | $1,689 | $141 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Maxima 3.5 S | $320 | $502 | $406 | $24 | $122 | $1,374 | $115 |
Maxima 3.5 SV | $320 | $578 | $406 | $24 | $122 | $1,450 | $121 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Prices based on married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and Maryland minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, homeowner, claim-free, multi-policy, and multi-vehicle. Premium costs do not factor in vehicle location which can influence insurance rates greatly.
Based on the data above, we can derive that using a $250 deductible costs an average of $19 more each month or $228 every year than requesting the higher $500 deductible. Since you would pay $250 more to settle a claim with a $500 deductible as compared to a $250 deductible, if you tend to have more than 13 months between claim filings, you would more than likely save some money if you decide on a higher deductible. Below is the way you can do this calculation yourself.
Average monthly premium for $250 deductibles: | $137 |
Average monthly premium for $500 deductibles (subtract): | – $118 |
Monthly savings from raising deductible: | $19 |
Difference between deductibles ($500 – $250): | $250 |
Divide difference by monthly savings: | $250 / $19 |
Number of months required between physical damage coverage claims in order to save money by choosing the higher deductible | 13 months |
Insurance rate increases from tickets or accidents
The information below demonstrates how citations and at-fault claims drive up Nissan Maxima insurance costs for each age group. The price estimates are based on a single female driver, full coverage, $250 deductibles, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
Nissan Maxima insurance premiums by gender in Baltimore
The illustration below visualizes the comparison of Nissan Maxima auto insurance rates for male and female drivers. The costs are based on a clean driving record, no at-fault accidents, full coverage, $500 deductibles, marital status is single, and no other discounts are factored in.
Nissan Maxima liability rates compared to full coverage
The illustration below visualizes the comparison of Nissan Maxima insurance costs with full physical damage coverage and with liability coverage only. The prices are based on no tickets, no at-fault accidents, $100 deductibles, single marital status, and no additional discounts are factored in.
When to stop buying full coverage
There is no definitive rule for eliminating full coverage on your policy, but there is a general convention. If the annual cost of coverage is more than about 10% of the settlement you would receive from your company, then it might be time to consider dropping full coverage.
For example, let’s say your Nissan Maxima book value is $9,000 and you have $1,000 physical damage deductibles. If your vehicle is destroyed, you would only receive $8,000 after the policy deductible has been paid. If you are paying in excess of $800 a year for your policy with full coverage, then it might be time to consider dropping full coverage.
There are some conditions where removing full coverage is not a good idea. If you still owe money on your vehicle, you must maintain physical damage coverage in order to keep the loan. Also, if you can’t afford to buy a different vehicle in case of an accident, you should keep full coverage.
It may be expensive, but it’s not optional
Despite the potentially high cost of Nissan Maxima insurance, auto insurance is required for several reasons.
- Most states have mandatory insurance requirements which means state laws require specific limits of liability insurance in order to get the vehicle licensed. In Maryland these limits are 30/60/15 which means you must have $30,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $60,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $15,000 of property damage coverage.
- If you have a lien on your vehicle, almost all lenders will make it a condition of the loan that you have physical damage coverage to ensure they get paid if you total the vehicle. If you do not keep the policy in force, the lender may have to buy a policy to insure your Nissan at a significantly higher premium and require you to fork over the higher price.
- Auto insurance protects both your Nissan and your assets. Insurance will also pay for all forms of medical expenses for not only you but also any passengers injured in an accident. As part of your policy, liability insurance also pays expenses related to your legal defense if you are sued as the result of an accident. If mother nature or an accident damages your car, collision and comprehensive (also known as other-than-collision) coverage will pay to repair the damage minus the deductible amount.
The benefits of having insurance definitely exceed the price paid, specifically if you ever have a liability claim. On average, a vehicle owner in Baltimore is overpaying more than $700 annually so you should quote your policy with other companies at every renewal to help ensure money is not being wasted.
Baltimore insurance discounts for a Nissan Maxima
Car insurance companies don’t necessarily list all discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so below is a list some of the more common as well as the least known discounts you could be receiving when you buy Baltimore auto insurance online.
- Paperless Signup – Some of the larger companies will give a small break for signing up on the internet.
- Baltimore Homeowners Pay Less – Owning a home in Baltimore can save you money due to the fact that maintaining a home demonstrates responsibility.
- Theft Deterrent – Cars, trucks, and SUVs with anti-theft systems have a lower chance of being stolen and will qualify for a discount on a Baltimore auto insurance quote.
- Senior Citizen Discount – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may receive a slight reduction on a Baltimore auto insurance quote.
- Discount for New Cars – Insuring a vehicle that is new is cheaper due to better safety requirements for new vehicles.
- Telematics Discount – Baltimore drivers who agree to allow their auto insurance company to scrutinize when and where they use their vehicle by installing a telematics device such as Allstate’s Drivewise and State Farm’s In-Drive system might get better premium rates if they are good drivers.
- Seat Belt Discounts – Requiring all passengers to buckle up before driving can save a little on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
- Save with More Vehicles Insured – Buying coverage for several vehicles with the same auto insurance company can get a discount for every vehicle.
- Discount for Life Insurance – If the company offers life insurance, you could get a discounted rate on car insurance if you buy life insurance from them.
While discounts sound great, it’s important to understand that most credits do not apply to the entire cost. A few only apply to individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. So even though you would think adding up those discounts means a free policy, you aren’t that lucky.
The example below compares Nissan Maxima insurance premiums with and without discounts applied. The premium estimates are based on a female driver, no driving violations, no at-fault accidents, Maryland state minimum liability limits, comprehensive and collision coverage, and $250 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with multi-policy, claim-free, safe-driver, marriage, multi-car, and homeowner discounts applied.
Companies who might offer some of the above discounts are:
Before you buy a policy, ask each insurance company to give you their best rates. Some discounts might not apply in your area. If you would like to view insurers that can offer you the previously mentioned discounts in Baltimore, follow this link.
When to have guidance from an insurance agent
Many drivers prefer to buy from a local agent. Insurance agents can help you build your policy and will help you if you have claims. One of the benefits of price shopping on the web is that you can obtain cheap auto insurance rates and still buy from a local agent. And supporting local agencies is important especially in Baltimore.
Upon completion of this quick form, your coverage information is sent to participating agents in Baltimore that give free quotes and help you find cheaper coverage. There is no need to even leave your home because prices are sent to you directly. If you need to get a comparison quote from one company in particular, you would need to find their quoting web page and fill out their quote form.
Insurance agent types
If you are wanting to purchase auto insurance from a reliable agent, it’s important to understand the different agency structures to choose from. Agents are either exclusive or independent. Both provide auto insurance policies, but it is important to understand the difference in how they write coverage since it could factor into your agent selection.
Independent Agencies or Brokers
Agents of this type do not write with just one company and that gives them the ability to insure with any number of different companies and find the cheapest rate. If prices rise, the business is moved internally and you stay with the same agent.
When comparison shopping, you will definitely want to check rates from a few independent agents in order to compare the most rates.
Below is a small list of independent agents in Baltimore who can help you get free rate quotes.
Senate Select Insurance
5417 Reisterstown Rd – Baltimore, MD 21215 – (410) 358-0411 – View Map
Morgan Smith Insurance Agency
847 W 36th St – Baltimore, MD 21211 – (410) 889-9290 – View Map
Nationwide Insurance: Bruce Cohee Agency Inc
502 Baltimore Ave – Towson, MD 21204 – (410) 823-8777 – View Map
Exclusive Insurance Agencies
Exclusive agents can usually just insure with one company such as State Farm, AAA, and Liberty Mutual. They generally cannot provide prices from multiple companies so it’s a take it or leave it situation. Exclusive insurance agents are highly trained on sales techniques which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums.
The following is a list of exclusive agents in Baltimore that can give you price quote information.
Anthony Walker Sr. – State Farm Insurance Agent
8641 Loch Raven Blvd #2d – Baltimore, MD 21239 – (410) 663-8888 – View Map
State Farm: Scott Garvey
3818 Roland Ave – Baltimore, MD 21211 – (410) 889-5840 – View Map
Allstate Insurance: Jim Craig
2829 O’Donnell St – Baltimore, MD 21224 – (410) 522-6100 – View Map
Picking an auto insurance agent requires more thought than just the bottom line cost. These are some valid questions you should ask.
- Will they take your side in the event of a claim?
- Are all drivers listed on the coverage quote?
- Are they able to provide referrals?
- Is vehicle mileage a factor when determining depreciation for repairs?
- When do they do a full risk review?
- If they are an independent agency in Baltimore, which companies do they recommend?
Find affordable rates by comparing often
The cheapest Nissan Maxima insurance in Baltimore is attainable from both online companies in addition to local insurance agencies, and you should compare price quotes from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. There are still a few companies who do not offer rate quotes online and usually these small, regional companies sell through independent agents.
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, make sure you don’t buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There are a lot of situations where drivers have reduced liability limits or collision coverage and found out when filing a claim that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. Your strategy should be to buy enough coverage at the best possible price while still protecting your assets.
Steps to finding more affordable Nissan Maxima insurance in Baltimore
To save the most money, the best way to get low-cost Nissan Maxima insurance is to compare prices annually from companies who sell auto insurance in Baltimore.
Step 1: Learn about policy coverages and the measures you can take to keep rates down. Many things that result in higher prices like distracted driving and a bad credit score can be eliminated by making lifestyle changes or driving safer.
Step 2: Compare prices from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can only quote rates from a single company like Progressive or Allstate, while independent agents can quote rates from multiple insurance companies.
Step 3: Compare the quotes to your existing rates to see if cheaper Maxima coverage is available in Baltimore. If you find a lower rate quote and decide to switch, verify that coverage does not lapse between policies.
Step 4: Notify your company or agent of your intention to cancel your current coverage and submit a down payment along with a signed application for the new policy. When you receive it, keep your new certificate verifying coverage along with the vehicle’s registration papers.
The key thing to know about shopping around is to compare identical coverages on each price quote and and to get price estimates from as many different companies as possible. This ensures a level playing field and a good representation of prices.
For more information, feel free to browse the following helpful articles:
- What to do at the Scene of an Accident (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has Affordable Car Insurance Rates for a 20 Year Old Female in Baltimore? (FAQ)
- What Car Insurance is Cheapest for Safe Drivers in Baltimore? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Baltimore Car Insurance Rates for Teenage Females? (FAQ)
- Where can I buy Insurance? (Insurance Information Institute)
- Reducing Your Risks in a Car Crash Video (iihs.org)
- How Can I Save Money on Auto Insurance? (Insurance Information Institute)